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OSB or plywood for general cabinet making? (sopuli.xyz)

submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I need/slash want to build a few pieces of furniture for my house.

After visiting a shop, I had the carpenter go on a long tirade on how my choice on OSB was poor, when compared to the standard plywood the shop uses for their work, being weaker and not as "clean" looking.

We personally like OSB, here. We already have a few pieces and the rough look of the material is our style.

But is it really a poorer choice when compared to plywood?

The next project will be a bookcase and it will have to withstand a heavy load.

I brought a small strip of plywood home with me, as a sample. The material is made up of five layers. If necessary, I can upload a picture later.

I intend to use 15mm material for the sides of the boxes that will compose the bookcase, with 9mm for the back. These specifications exist for OSB; on plywood, I was told the closest is 13mm and 6mm.

Can someone share some advice and knowledge in what can be the better choice to build this project?

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[–] wjrii 20 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

For bookcases in particular, the weakness of OSB is going to be a problem when loaded. Its rough surface could also play havoc with the bottoms of books. OSB is not really intended to be a project for cabinetry or furniture, so its qualities are not optimized for those uses. I suspect your carpenter there was overstating things, but I won't fault a professional for not wanting to use it.

Size-wise, I might recommend the next step up for either material, 18mm I think, for both sides and shelves. For the back, go the other way. 9mm is overkill for the back, and even 6mm is probably more than strictly necessary. 3mm will be more than fine, as the back is there for aesthetics, to keep the books in, and for avoiding racking (big concern on a bookcase). It will rely on the strength of the carcase and the nails/screws/glue holding it, and doesn't need as much intrinsic strength.